The Dragon's Melancholy
by whitelilies
Summary: She's fifteen, she's in her last year of middle school and she's part of an intricate plot involving mystical forces. Sakuno isn't sure how to handle these changes, especially when an enemy has found her before she could do anything about it! With her dragon companion, Fuji, Yukimura, Tomoka and - surprisingly - Akutsu, Sakuno hopes to stop the world from a terrible evil.
1. Book 1: It begins

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters.

**A/N**: Yesh, I need to stop writing new fics...but it turns out that this is how I handle my stress. With 6 courses, I have no choice but to de-stress. Please don't mind the formatting and I wanted to try my hand at writing first-person. I haven't seen one well done, even in published books, so hopefully this story can be one of them! Reviews are always great ;)

* * *

_Protect those who hold a piece of your heart_

_Or embrace the reaper who rides the death cart._

_/_/_

The dominating dragon was in deep slumber within the host. Her given name was derived from a flower and the personality

conditioned to become a sweet, young and naïve girl. It was all done to deceive the forces which sought her and her descendants.

Centuries passed by peacefully and the day came for the rousing of the dragon.

Those who the child was hidden from had made themselves known in this new world.

/_/_/_/

It was often said Ryuzaki Sumire was a terrifying woman and though it was a side of her Sakuno rarely saw, there were days when she believed those words. Today was a fine example.

The elder Ryuzaki loomed over three regulars and lectured them for the simple reason of not executing a backstroke perfectly despite so much practice. Although she was smiling, the otherwise pleasant gesture didn't reach her eyes. The sun in the sky couldn't penetrate the darkness she shrouded herself in. She nearly delved into a psychological attack as she was a woman who knew men like the back of her hand. Perhaps that's what scared these boys the most – that she _knew_ their secret motivation.

Sakuno pitied them but couldn't understand the feeling of terror. Sumire had never so much as scolded Sakuno in the past fifteen years we have been together. She could only imagine what emotions those regulars were undergoing. Awkwardly, the young girl chuckled and waited for her grandmother outside the tennis courts. She thought to set up a working environment for myself since regionals were approaching and knew it would be hours before they went home for the day.

Soon, dusk fell upon Seishun Gakuen and an unexpected shadow descends upon her 'station'.

"Waiting for sensei, Ryuzaki-chan?" A soft yet masculine voice called, capturing her interest.

Walking towards Sakuno was none other than Yukimura, one of the most popular men in their high school. He had transferred in the past year from Rikkai Dai due to his desire to train under Sumire and it was the closest he could get, considering she worked in the middle school. Although they were student and coach, they had a unique friendship since Yukimura had a strong interests in gardening as well as tennis.

"Good evening, Yukimura-senpai." Sakuno stood and casually bowed. "Yes, I am. Obaa-chan wanted us to go home together today. What brings you here, senpai?"

He chuckled then asked her not to be so formal with him. She merely greeted him as my senior so it confused her why an upperclassman, with whom she don't have a special bond with, wanted her to be so informal. It wasn't proper but she didn't want to voice her concern.

"Well, I was hoping sensei could be a character reference for me. I plan to apply for the physiotherapy programs in Europe; Austria specifically."

Sakuno almost chuckled; it wasn't a well kept secret that Yukimura wouldn't ever be refused by those surrounding him, adults included. Though, her grandmother was one of the few who viewed him as the teenager he was, not the perfect child others thought him to be. Perhaps that's why he wanted a letter from her?

"I doubt obaa-chan would say no, senpai."

And by saying so, she managed to initiate a proper conversation between them and made space for him to sit. They talked about tennis, classes and potential career paths. Even though the condition he has hadn't been completely cured, it was wonderful that he didn't allow it to hinder him. This would probably explain the motivation for becoming a physiotherapist.

Perhaps it was his ambition, perseverance, gentle persona or combination of all there, but when he wasn't playing tennis, something about him made her feel at ease. But whatever the reason, her fondness for him would never be altered.

As they conversed, something caught her eye and looking across the courts, she found a man, slightly frightening in appearance, watching the tennis regulars play. When she frowned, Yukimura followed her line of sight and exclaimed in surprise – well, as surprised someone like could be anyway. He was always so calm…

"I wonder, is that Akutsu Jin? What a surprise if it and here of all places." He remarked.

Suddenly, a memory of Sumire ranting and raving about a high school student came to mind. She said he was doing community service for an incident involving a potential arrest. At this moment, Sakuno instantly assumed it was Akutsu she was talking about although it wasn't right to think that way…

The silver hared man noticed them and with a last look at the tennis team, he walked away. Shortly after, grandmother finished her session, joined them and everyone completely forgot about Akutsu. She agreed to be a reference for Yukimura and he finally accepted the ride she constantly offered. It made Sakuno smile to see them to be so comfortable with one another despite the age gap and status.

During the drive home, Sumire began bragging about Sakuno's accomplishments in the humanities classes, specifically History, and the award she was to receive at the end of the school year. Sakuno blushed, embarrassed her grandmother was doing such a thing.

"O-obaa-chan! It was nothing!" These kinds of things shouldn't be discussed so openly, especially since the award was one of condition – as long as her marks remained stable, she would receive it. Yukimura chuckled and turned to look at her from the front seat.

"You should be proud of your accomplishments, Ryuzaki-chan. Sensei has the right idea but don't worry, she always had the pride of an army." He said this as though there was a secret they both shared, shocking the younger girl since he was teasing. He didn't usually do that, not with Sakuno anyway.

Sumire chuckled darkly. "Ho ho ho, was that a snide comments towards a certain outfit at a certain beach, Yuki-kun?"

And then the teasing began and they forgot about Sakuno's existence and embarrassment.

"I'm happy about it, I just don't want the whole world to know…" She mumbled beneath her breath and looked out the car window, annoyance settling deep within her soul.

Suddenly, her attention was caught by a shadow passing over the car. She blinked once to overcome surprise and again when she realized no one else noticed. It was such a large and dark shadow, meaning it was close to the car! How could no one else notice?!

Before she could say anything, a figure came rapidly towards them, evoking panic inside of her. The setting sun was behind it, making it difficult to identify. Her eyes widened – it was a…dragon?! Wait, what?!

"O-obaa-chan! A dragon!" Sakuno pointed and dashed to the other side of the car while Sumire and Yukimura looked where she pointed, clearly confused. She didn't have time to say anything as screaming took priority – it roared and its mouth smashed through the door, engulfing the young Ryuzaki within its dangerous jaw.

/_/_/_/

The timid beginnings of a light slowly turned into a contrasting brightness to the surrounding darkness. The light took the form of a nude, female soul. She was startled, curious why she was in the dark. Behind her, a large, white figure with golden eyes materialized.

She was frightened but slowly understood no harm would come to her. Her hand inched towards the white dragon's snout, recognizing it as the one which swallowed her whole. It was as if it had been with her throughout her life and beyond.

/_/

_Are your wits as fast as the leopard?_

_Will you be my everlasting shepard?_


	2. Book 1: An Explanation of Sorts

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters.

* * *

Fuji had been reading the latest published literature by his favourite poet when he felt a sense of dread pass through him. He initially assumed it was the feelings evoked by the poet due to his talent but the second wave was much more powerful, more _real. _He closed his book and looked out his bedroom window with a frown.

There were dark clouds forming not too far from his home. Perhaps it was time for a tarot reading with his sister.

/_/_/

The first sound Sakuno heard was the heavy rain hitting a roof – the barrier dulled the sound to heavy drops. It almost altered her perception of reality since she was sure it wasn't raining before…wait, when was 'before' and where was she?

The dragon ate her! She sat up suddenly, disturbing the much needed rest her mind and body needed, blurring her eyesight for a moment too long.

"Careful, princess."

Someone's hand held her arm firmly, securing her from falling what seemed, upon closer inspection, a couch. Oh, it was her couch…and they were in her house. They…she looked upwards and found the intense and deep green eyes of Yukimura. All sounds around her ceased and she could only think about those gorgeous green eyes that led to his soul.

She wasn't strong enough to fight the blush.

"There's been quite a commotion after you claimed to see a dragon and fainted, my lady."

She frowned – why was he using such formal titles? Was he teasing her? Then the memory of yelling about the dragon came to mind and she was mortified – how could she have done that! Yukimura must think her crazy…

"Ryuzaki-chan, I've been given an interesting and short explanation of why the door's window shattered. Who would've guessed?"

His words were so…unsatisfying. It only formulated more questions like what was going on? Where was her grandmother? She was about to ask but at that moment, Sumire calmly descended the stairs with a relatively thick book in her hands. Sakuno saw the relief in her eyes after seeing she was awake then glanced at Yukimura's hand that lingered on her granddaughter's arm.

He released his hold so casually and followed her to the dining room table. Sakuno did as well and took a seat next to him. Sumire sat across from Sakuno and the younger Ryuzaki couldn't help but think she was feeling a lot of regret.

"Sakuno, did you sleep well?" She asked. Sakuno tried not to frown but couldn't help it when she realized what she saw was only a dream. She wasn't entirely sure how much time passed and she concentrated on the table, weaving her thoughts together.

"Sakuno? Are you alright?"

When both Ryuzakis made eye contact, Sakuno noticed Yukimura's sudden stoic expression from the corner of her eye. It was rare when he didn't sport a gentle smile...she took a deep breath and asked the question about the dragon because it was haunting her.

"I…I saw, at least I think I saw, a dragon…it just stared at me then asked…asked if I would be its shepard." She frowned again. "I think it talked to me but its lips didn't move."

After speaking, she came to terms at how silly all of this sounded but when she paid more attention to Sumire, she could only see apprehension. Sakuno knew she wanted to give her a hug but wouldn't dare in front of Yukimura. That was Sumire; she was too proud to show her family's 'weakness', so to speak. She would be a leader in this moment, not a supporter.

"What colour was the dragon?" She asked.

"…White." Sakuno replied and observed carefully as Sumire stood and began pacing. She could feel the increased pressure in her neck as impatience took a hold. It ascended to her head and she understood this as a frustration. It was a feeling she hadn't felt in a very long time.

"Obaa-chan, why does it matter? And _what_ is going on? Surely all of this isn't worth being worried about…right?"

She looked at Sakuno then at Yukimura – Sakuno almost forgot about him since he had been so silent – and returned her gaze onto her undoubtedly anxious granddaughter. She was obviously debating the best way to disclose shocking information, Sakuno figured, and curiosity was increasing.

"Sakuno, there's a lot to say and please, listen with an open mind." Sakuno nodded hesitatingly. "Seiichi slightly knows of this now but it's important to know your lineage."

She opened the book on the table and positioned it upright to clearly show her what was in it. Yukimura moved his seat closer to her so he could see as well. The first page was painted with beautiful hand drawn flowers and depicted a peaceful village overlooked by a fortress akin to the Mastsumoto-jo…

"Centuries ago, our ancestors belonged to one of the four ruling families of an era long past. Like with every generation before and after, there were unsettling politics and scandals but it was a time of peace. Unfortunately, there came a time when one of the families became involved with something dark and inhumane."

Sakuno clutched the side of her chair at Sumire's heavy tone.

"This family wanted to dominate the others and become the sole ruler of this country. But they chose the worst method – something without a spirit had been incarnated into our realm due to the spilled blood of innocent civilians. In twenty years, an heir born of human sacrifice had reached maturity to replace the family's representative in the council, which was comprised of the four noble families in Kyoto."

Sakuno put out her hands out to stop Sumire from speaking anymore. Was this real? She couldn't handle hearing more!

"O-obaa-chan, this is ridiculous!"

"Ryuzaki-chan, I hate to come across as aggressive, but perhaps we should allow Ryuzaki-sensei to finish this story."

She looked at Yukimura-senpai, whose eyes were on Sumire's book. She returned my attention to Sumire, who was looking at her with pity.

"O-ok."

Sumire nodded. "All of this is important, Sakuno. Now, the other families had inkling to what was occurring and five years prior to the maturation of this heir, an oracle passed through each of their districts. He warned them of the unnatural birth.

"There was panic among them and unknowingly, each family had the same solution: condition an heir of purity to neutralize the situation. They didn't communicate with one another but in the five years before maturation of the dark heir, two families trained two sons. The last family had been cursed due to a misdeed five hundred years prior. They were never to sire a male heir."

All of this seemed familiar, for some reason. Sakuno asked the question on my mind. "W-was this family ours…?"

Sumire nodded again. "Exactly. We are the descendents of the dragons, the Ryuzaki family. We had a lot of obstacles to overcome in the male dominated society without a son for so many generations so this was yet another. The eldest of the four, Princess Ayako, was to become a warrior instead of a priestess as was planned at birth. With utmost discretion, they sent her in the place of her husband to the council on her twentieth birthday."

She frowned; this was becoming even more complicated.

"On her journey to the capital, she met the other two warriors and had visions of what was to come if they simply waged war against the dark family. So she devised a plan to make the heir fall in love with her. It was a success."

Sakuno's jaw dropped in an ungracious way. She was once told that every tragedy involved love in some form or the other. Surely this tale didn't have a good ending.

Sumire continued. "Her companions attacked when the heir's resolve was weakened. Days turned into weeks, weeks to months and months to years. Finally, he was destroyed when Ayako betrayed him but she was cursed by him. He vowed his soul would seek the heirs of all three families to crush them as they did him."

No one spoke for awhile and it was just as well. Everyone needed time to process all of this. So the Ryuzaki family had two curses? Was that even possible? How many times had this phrase been said in her mind already?

She wasn't sure how to accommodate this either. She wanted this to be a terrible prank but Sumire's grim tone said it was anything but. Honestly, Sakuno felt like a fish out of water, struggling to adapt to a new environment. She used to watch magical girl anime and had wished those situations would be real. Now it seemed all of those fantasies were coming true but not in a positive way.

Yukimura still hadn't said anything but was drumming his fingers against the table. She couldn't tell what his opinion was on the matter and had so many – wait, her grandmother said the family was 'cursed' never to have sons…but she had my father. Anger rushed through her as she realized that all of this could have been a lie.

"Obaa-chan, you're lying. You had father." She said sternly, for once not caring she was being rude to an elder. Sumire simply sighed and massaged her forehead.

"…Your mother, Yumi, is my child, not Tetsuya."

...What? She felt as though someone threw numerous bricks at her and staggered on the seat, eventually falling over in shock. Yukimura caught her in time and allowed her to use him as support. Her bones had turned to jelly and couldn't stand on her own. Then after so many moments of silence, he spoke.

"What happens now, sensei?"

Sakuno gaped in disbelief at Yukimura's acceptance. How could he be so calm about this?

"It's been centuries since the descendants of that family attacked any of us. I only know what's in the book, Seiichi. I assume they felt the dragon awaken inside of Sakuno and will be searching for her."

The young girl watched incredulity as he and Sumire discussed strategies and theories. It made her feel like a fragile doll when he guided me to the seat, his hand not leaving her arm. She barely listened as they spoke as she was lost in childhood memories of her now deceased father and Sumire.

She remembered the way she scolded him when he did something wrong when it concerned a young Sakuno, as a mother would, not as a mother-in-law. She had various memories that would`ve fooled anyone that Ryuzaki Tetsuya was the legitimate son of Ryuzaki Sumire.

_`They are coming for you. Leave the home – it is too precious to lose now. `_

The sharp but deep voice dispersed her memories. Somehow, she felt what it said was true and repeated this to Sumire, who startled, saying it was too soon.

"Seiichi, Sakuno, get to the car! We need to place as much distance between us and this property immediately. Go!"

Yukimura-senpai leapt into action. He grabbed the keys and dragged Sakuno out of the house. In less than a minute, they were joined by Sumire and she drove like a lunatic. Amid the rain, they saw swirling, dark purple clouds in the distance and there were bursts of green light in the middle. That couldn't be natural in any country. Oh dear God, this was really happening. Sakuno's panic only worsened when the clouds came closer to us quickly and didn't shrink when Yukimura told her everything would be alright.

She could only relax a smidgen when _that _voice spoke again.

'_We must fight and I will protect you.'_

She felt her core being pulled into an unknown world. Here, nowhere, she saw images – or memories – of the past.

In the dark distance, there was an angry gold-eyed, red dragon thrusting its claws at a multiple tentacled creature and near her, on the edge of a cliff, was a woman shooting arrows at an abnormal speed. With defeat in her eyes, she looked over her shoulder at Sakuno.

They disappeared and another dragon, blue-eyed and white in colour, supported an elegantly dressed woman who chanted spells with a crescent moon shaped staff. The beams of light hit a large, shadowed being and it roared in pain. The woman, with great regret, looked over her shoulder at Sakuno.

Again, the image disappeared and in its place was one of an injured jade eyed, blue dragon, dying in a decaying forest floor. A hooded figure sat close to it, mourning. She too looked at Sakuno but this time, walked to her.

'_Daughter of the cursed Ryuzaki, prevent this future from occurring.'_

She placed a hand on Sakuno's shoulder and it burned. She screamed and then she was gone, leaving Sakuno in darkness once again. The only light came from the dragon she had seen before, _her _dragon, as it glided towards her. It was huge and impulsively, she placed a hand on its snout when it came close.

'_Will you be my shepard?'_

"I-I don't know what that means!"

'_We must fight for the sake of those you love, if not for yourself.'_

Suddenly, Skuno was in the car again. She touched her arms and legs to ensure this wasn't a dream. It wasn't. After looking out the window again, more clouds formed and more green sparks were present. She doubted my reality check and returned her gaze to her grandmother, who was fretting about what to do. Remembering the visions and the words promised to Sakuno by the dragon, she made my decision.

She wanted to protect these two.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the car door and rolled onto the asphalt of the bridge they were crossing, causing Sumire to cry in alarm. Sakuno bit her lip to fight the scream wanting to leave my mouth – it really hurt falling out of the car. So much for the dragon protecting her…

'_I was not given a warning of your impulsive decision. From this moment onwards, I will protect you.'_

Ah, mou! She wanted to swear but that cloud that had been following them manifested into a large shadow being, possibly twenty feet, and similar to the one from her vision. Her confidence and anger never disintegrated so quickly before.

She heard the car swerve and knew they were coming back. This thing needed to be stopped before they returned to her. Gazing into the hollow yet shadowed red eyes, Sakuno never imagined seeing wispy beings or hearing their anguish. They wanted release. She didn't realize she was crying until a teardrop fell onto her knee. It was an odd sensation because she didn't know who they were but could feel their suffering – it was a sadness she could never understand.

'_Embrace their pain.'_

And she did. At that moment, two things happened: the shadow rushed towards her and she felt a sudden surge of power. A vision passed through her mind of people being taken from their families for sacrifice and saw them die at the hands of a priest who should've known better. Voices sang a song of mourning and she felt warmth within her hands. The ground glowed with ancient symbols and once the peak strength was reached, she held out my hands to the shadow and two white beams burst towards it.

It moaned.

'_Trust my judgement and direction. Dodge to the right.'_

Thank goodness Sakuno kept up with tennis because her reflexes came in handy. She dodged the beast's attack, rolled and dodged again. When she jumped in accordance to the dragon's instructions, she went much higher than expected. She stupidly looked down and shrieked.

'_Concentrate.'_

The dragon scolded her, causing her to click her tongue, annoyed.

"It's not often I fly, Lizard-san!"

She knew the dragon was trying to keep her alive but her patience was nonexistent. The beast roared again and charged towards her but a shimmering, yellow tainted and opaque wall was abruptly placed between her and the creature. Was this the dragon's promise? It pounded both fists against it, creating a painful sound, like nails running down a chalkboard.

'_I cannot hold it much longer. Finish it._'

When the beast pounded its fist for the last time against the barrier, chipping it, and roared, she experienced an adrenaline rush. She knew Sumire was somewhere below, unprotected by this barrier. When the soul of the archer appeared to guide her movements and lend bow and arrows, Sakuno wasn't sure. With a deep breath, she pulled the arrow back and released it into the barrier, aiming for the eye of the beast. It hit! The thing screamed painfully and the souls were freed from it. Slowly, it grew smaller in size until it became just a few inches taller than her.

She gaped. It seemed as if the dark matter was enclosed around a person but she didn't have any more time to observe. As a last resort, it released a roar and sent a last blast green energy at her. The dragon's protection was shattered and she heard his torment before the attack hit her.

She screamed as her skin was cut in various spots. The blast threw her across the water and towards land at a neck breaking speed. As she neared the ground, she knew her chances of survival were low. When she finally hit the ground, she accepted death was near. The last person she thought she'd ever see was a man leaning against a tree, smoking a cigarette.

* * *

**A/N**: Hm, I wonder who that man is?

I'm having a hard time believing the increased number of OC stories. Once upon a time, readers really hated them and it's nice that hate has nearly disappeared. Favs and follows are nice but reviews are better ;)


	3. Book 1: A Witness

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Prince of Tennis of any of its characters.

* * *

Yet again, there wasn't any light. She couldn't see anything but felt it wouldn't last long. She knew her dragon would come and illuminate everything around her. And he did.

She turned and gazed into the eyes of the white dragon.

"_Do you have a name?" _She asked without moving her lips_. _

"_I do not." _He replied softly_. _

"_Is it finished?"_

"_Not until the cycle is broken. But for now, it is time to part ways." _

/_/_/

She felt the cold breeze and the hard surface she was lying on before seeing anything. Slowly, Sakuno opened her eyes and adjusted to the night's environment. The first thing she saw was a large trash bin that seemed familiar…she blinked and scanned the grounds. After seeing grass, a paved path, lights, a playground in the distance and considering the fact that she was on a bench, she deduced she was in a park. While rising, she was startled to feel a jacket slide off of her and watched it land on the ground with a quiet rustle.

…Whose was that?

As she reached for it, the stench of a lit cigarette reached her nose. She turned to the source and standing at the back of the bench, leaning against it, was a silver haired man looking in the opposite direction. She muffled her shriek and tumbled off of the bench. She hastily righted her sprawled legs so he wouldn't see anything – she was still wearing my uniform.

The man glanced at her then turned around again, his attention somewhere in the distance. After a few moments, she recognized the man as the trouble maker, Akutsu Jin. Her surprise turned to panic and she quickly tried to stand.

The sudden pain reminded her what happened not too long ago – her legs gave away and she landed on my elbow. It hurt more than expected and she groaned. Then, surprisingly, Akutsu picked her up from behind and placed her on the bench. He stared at her. She looked away, unable to make eye contact with those sharp, golden eyes. This situation was very uncomfortable; she wasn't sure where she was, didn't know what happened after the battle and was at a painful point of hunger.

"How are you alive?"

He suddenly asked in a husky voice, prompting her to blink away her thoughts and look into his eyes. That was a mistake.

She felt a sudden sense of recognition mixed with malice. It was a feeling she was sure she hadn't ever felt so why did it seem so…familiar? What was she to do or say, for that matter. So she said the first thing that came to mind, which wasn't really smart.

"I-I don't know what you mean."

He frowned and pointed at the huge indent she must've left after hitting the ground…he was right, how was she alive? She stuttered but couldn't say anything intelligent whatsoever. She felt incredibly stressed and began to feel tears forming.

Akutsu sighed and sat on the opposite end of the bench. She shivered.

"Use the jacket." He ordered and she did without question even though her reaction wasn't due to the cold – having him sit near was a little nerve wracking. But strangely enough, it also eased some of her apprehension. Maybe it was because she knew _of_ him? It was much better than finding a complete stranger with her after waking up.

Speaking of which, she hadn't properly reflected on what happened. From what she remembered, the dragon had put up a barrier to shield her and maybe she got help from one of the women from her visions? That must've been it otherwise how would she have gotten the bow and arrow? But it wasn't enough. The monster had used a blast to blow her away with the last of its strength. She looked down at her hands and legs, finding them scratched and some crusted with dried blood. She blanched but the memory of the shadow disintegrating brought her mind back to a relatively stable state.

It had shrunk into _someone_ taller than her. What did this mean? And what did the dragon mean by the cycle? Was he referring to the curse? He was keeping silent for now which was truly inconvenient. Wait, Sakuno didn't know if her grandmother and Yukimura were okay!

And this is when the tears fell down her cheeks.

She didn't want to make any noise because who knew how Akutsu would react. She didn't want him to yell or, goodness forbid, hit her. That dose of malevolence she felt from him at the courts was something she didn't want to experience again. From the corner of her eye, she saw a movement and with considerable reservation, she looked over. Again, Akutsu surprised her by offering a cell phone. He didn't look at her nor did he say anything. She thanked him quietly and took it, quickly dialing Sumire's mobile.

"_Sakuno! Are you okay? Where are you?!"_

"I-I'm fine, obaa-chan…I'm at a park…"

"_Park? Which one?" _

"U-um…" She looked around and didn't recognize the area.

"Across the Yamabuki high school, near the tennis courts." Akutsu said, surprising her yet again. She repeated this, shocked she came so far, and Sumire said she'd be there in about ten minutes. It was a relief that she was alright and by association, surely Yukimura was alright as well.

She returned the cell phone to him and he took it with a quiet grunt. Ten minutes, she thought, was a really long time, especially in this situation. But thinking back, Akutsu didn't have to stay with her…or lend her his jacket. In fact, it was shocking that he did. He deserved a thank you.

"U-um…thank you for staying with me, Akutsu-san…obaa-chan will be here in ten minutes. Y-you don't have to stay here anymore…"

She said, mustering every ounce of courage she had to look at him. She was expecting him to merely nod and leave but again, it was obvious she didn't know him very well.

"It gets dangerous at night here." He said, implying that he would stay. It made her slightly happy to know someone would wait with me. "How did this happen?"

That happiness disappeared. He did deserve to know, considering his actions but it was also a…really hard thing to talk about. It was probable he wouldn't believe her and call her terrible names. She sighed and looked at the ground.

"…I don't think Akutsu-san would believe me."

"Why do you know my name?"

"U-um, I saw the match between you and Ryoma-kun years ago…"

He grunted and she glanced at him. It was slightly terrifying to see him smirking with a cigarette between his lips.

"He still in America?"

"Yes…" She smiled sadly. It was hoping for too much that he would've decided to stay in Japan but America was his true home.

"Try me."

"E-excuse me?" What was he talking about? Surely he wasn't talking about her crush…

"Tell me how this happened." He said sternly.

Right, of course not. Why would he even care or know about something like that? She didn't want to go there because, well, what would one say? She fought a monster and it punched her all the way here?

"Um, I was serious when I said you won't believe me…" She started but his sudden glare told her to continue anyway. "I got into an unexpected fight and even though I won, my opponent struck me with all its energy at the end…"

She couldn't look at him. He didn't say anything for awhile.

"Sounds impossible." Akutsu finally said, dropping his cigarette onto the ground and crushing it with his foot. She sighed again – that's why she gave him a disclaimer.

Nothing else needed to be said because his phone went off. He answered it and after a minute, ended the call. He said Sumire was here. She finally felt a tremendous amount of relief and again, tried to stand on her own. Sometimes, intelligence came second to emotion.

She would've collapsed again had Akutsu not grabbed her arm. She blushed and allowed him to steer her upright. Things became too weird when he threw her over his shoulder and walked in the direction her grandmother was waiting.

Her face reddened at the closeness – what if her grandmother saw her like this! She squirmed but he lightly pinched her arm, silencing her. She was too embarrassed to say anything after that. After a few more steps, he put her down next to a tree.

"Use the tree for support." He said, She did and then he walked away. She didn't have the time to call to him since Sumire was running towards her.

"Sakuno! My God! Are you alright?" She inspected her wounds and tested her limitations. Yukimura, who she was grateful to for staying with her grandmother, joined them and offered his assistance. Sumire took it and went to the car, prepping the back seat for her.

"That was quite a show, Ryuzaki-chan. I'm glad you're alright." He said with a sweet smile. She returned it.

"Thank you for staying with obaa-chan."

"There isn't anything to thank me for. Ryuzaki-sensei is a tough woman so I'm merely satisfying my curiosity."

It was nice of him to defend her grandmother like that. Sakuno could see why she liked Yukimura so much. She accepted his help and soon, was lying on the backseat. Now that they were here, she didn't feel like there was much to worry about.

As they drove away, she recounted the events that occurred after she left them. No one said anything for awhile until her grandmother asked a vital question.

"Sakuno, whose jacket are you using? And who was I speaking with on the phone?"

Ah! How could sh have forgotten about the jacket?! Oh, mou, that meant she needed to speak to him again. Akutsu already thought she was crazy so it wasn't a meeting she was looking forward to.

"Sakuno?"

Sumire's tone was dripping with wonder and Sakuno sighed, having an idea where she was going to go with this.

"It's…Akutsu-san's jacket…" She mumbled and kept her eyes on the door window, looking at the now clear sky above. "It was him you were speaking to, obaa-chan."

The car suddenly jerked and she nearly toppled off the seat. She stopped myself and looked up, nearly bumping noses with Sumire.

"_What?!_ That troubled child helped you?!"

"O-obaa-chan! The car, the car!" She frantically pointed to the steering wheel Yukimura took control of. Grandmother growled and resumed driving, murmuring some obviously unpleasant things. Yukimura merely grinned.

"That was nice of him. Perhaps he's misunderstood. Don't you think so, sensei?"

Sumire didn't say anything immediately but when she did, it didn't have anything to do with Yukimura's comment.

"You'll have to return the jacket, Sakuno. He's the one I was telling you about."

So Akutsu _was_ the one doing community service near Seigaku. She was curious to what he did now but was too tired to ponder too much on it. So she closed my eyes in hopes that her fatigue would overpower hunger.

/_/_/

When she woke up, she was in hre bedroom and incredibly comfortable. She wasn't sure how she got up here but it wasn't important. She heard her cell phone beep from her desk and took her time to reach it. The good thing was she could hold up her weight with her damaged legs now. She saw a text from Tomo-chan, talking about the strange thunderstorm earlier in the evening. She was wondering if she had seen it too. Oh, if only she knew…

She replied with fake interest and put the phone away. There was another worry that crept into her mind – every time she slept, she would always see the dragon but not this time. She wasn't sure if that was a good sign…or if he was too weak from that battle. Either way, not having someone to clear up matters didn't help the overall situation. She sighed and returned to bed, hoping to sleep again. But when she heard three distinct voices speaking, she knew things just became much more complicated.

Quietly, she walked to the door and opened it slowly. It took awhile for her to make out what was occurring downstairs. It seemed to be another important discussion.

"…no, we can't wait too long. I'm surprised you came here, though."

"My sister wouldn't have it otherwise, Sumire-chan."

She frowned. There was only one person who would call her grandmother that.

"Your sister has remarkable talent, Fuji-kun. Ryuzaki-sensei, are you sure no one else would have been able to see the battle?"

"No, those blessed with a particular gene or ability would be able to. Were you able to see anything, Syusuke-kun?"

"Just dark clouds and flashes of green, that's all. I wish I could've seen this amazing battle Yukimura-kun speaks of."

She sighed impatiently. What was Fuji doing here? This was getting beyond ridiculous again and she knew that she wouldn't get answers unless she was direct. So she slowly made her way downstairs, surprising every one sitting at the table.

"Good evening, Fuji-senpai." She said as lightly as possible. He smiled.

"Ma, seems like you had quite the adventure this evening, Ryuzaki-chan."

Not how she would've put it but weakly smiled and joined everyone. She asked, as politely as possible, what Fuji was doing here. Sumire thought for awhile, probably the best way of telling me, and explained.

"Syusuke-kun saw more than what others did and his sister referred him to us. How, I don't know but this means he's meant to help in some way or another."

"Help…what exactly are we doing, obaa-chan?" She asked, unsure of whether she would like the answer.

Sumire looked at Sakuno grimly.

"We are going into battle, Sakuno, and we need to find the other descendents."

* * *

**A/N**: Thanks for the support, everyone :) This was supposed to be a mini-series but yea, that probably isn't going to work.

_tsubame-chan_: Please give me your email address! I always want to interact with you but find that I can't. This fic has been sitting in my hard drive for quite awhile and I can't write an original work sooo it became fanfic ;)


	4. Book 1: Bonds

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters.

**A/N**: I usually like to put these in the bottom but in this case, I wanted to warn you of the PoV change. I cannot stand first person so I've gone back and edited for third person. More freedom that way too! Cheers, my dear readers!

* * *

/_/_/

_She heard he never graced his subjects with any proper forms of passion. It made this rare moment all the more precious. His aggressive tone had softened and he reached for her, kissing her once she was close enough. _

_She returned it with an unfamiliar enthusiasm that made her blush. Her ecstasy crumbled when the dragon spoke within her mind. _

'_You are a married woman.'_

'…_Yet I was given the mission of seduction. Is this so different, comrade?' _

'_Yes. You've formed feelings for him.'_

/_/_/

When Sakuno slowly crossed into reality from the dream world, she was immediately disappointed. She just had a sweet dream of someone she truly cared about…Although his face wasn't clear, the effect he had on her was tremendous: shivers ran down her back and she could feel his hand on her stomach. The warmth she felt slowly faded away and she dreaded having to wake.

Who was it..? Such familiarity was rare.

"Good morning, Sakuno-chan. Since we've shared a bed, I feel like I've gained the right to call you that?"

Her attention snapped to the right, where she regrettably found Fuji under the covers, propping himself up by elbow on the pillow. He lay there with a smile.

The delay between thought and action had never been so slow: it was his hand on her stomach. She nearly screamed from shame, embarrassment and other terrible emotions when she finally realized that Fuji was _in_ her room, specifically in her _bed_. She didn't know it was possible for a heart to beat so fast. Before she could release such a scream, he placed a finger on her lips firmly.

"I'd probably do the same in your position. Before Sumire-chan flattens me into a pancake, I want you to know I have no idea how I got here and sharing a bed with a girl who I'm not in a relationship with isn't my style. Just letting you know since I doubt I'll have a chance to explain before we get discovered."

He was right as a minute later, Sumire came into check on her and Fuji had a black eye seconds after. He passed out as he wasn't able to withstand her brutish strength. Sakuno panicked and explained what happened so fast that she couldn't believe she was speaking in a coherent language. Sumire's anger subsided and an expression of annoyance replaced it.

"Shit, I hit a high schooler."

She murmured and paced in a very slow circle, clearly in thought. "Well, we'll leave it for now. Come on, Sakuno, dress properly before coming down – Yuki-kun made breakfast and I don't want him seeing you like that."

Sakuno resisted looking down to see what she was wearing; may God help her shame if she was wearing that transparent negligee Sumire bought in order to tease her of a suspected crush on Tezuka. Why she'd go to such an extent though…Sakuno didn't know – oh dear God, she was wearing it!

Her face never felt so hot before and she released a held breath. Did-did Fuji see…? Oh God, oh God, oh GOD! She began hyperventilating and the image of him lifting the covers and…and she was _still_ next to him!

In a new wave of panic, Sakuno fell off the bed and tried to calm her breathing. Once she had it become manageable, she quickly picked out decent clothing and ran to the bathroom to change. After, she crept back to the room to toss the nightwear into the closet and left the bedroom as quickly as possible.

She…didn't know what to think anymore. All of this was ridiculous; how could he have gotten into the room without being noticed? Clearly Sumire wouldn't have okay-ed it. Plus, Fuji didn't seem to be the kind of guy to do something like that.

"Good morning, my lady." Yukimura's voice called out from the kitchen, causing her to look up. "Hard to believe I'm in the presence of nobility."

He chuckled as she entered the doorway.

"G-good morning, senpai…."

"Sounds like something unfortunate happened upstairs."

"E-eto…um, yeah…" It was the most she could manage because she _did not_ want to give an explanation.

"Well, no matter. Why don't you take a seat? I'll serve you in a moment."

"No need to do that, senpai! This is my home, after all."

As Sakuno and Yukimura got into a polite argument, Sumire couldn't help but chuckle on the way down. Leave it to those two for such a feat, eh? She was thankful to Yukimura, though, for his calm demeanour and returning Sakuno to normal. Unfortunately, all of this was going to be for the moment only.

"Is Fuji-kun awake, sensei? I wouldn't want to start without him." Yukimura asked as soon as she entered the doorway, breaking away from the stalemate he and Sakuno had gotten into.

"Ah…he's still knocked out. I'll make sure he gets something to eat later." Sumire said so normally that Sakuno pondered how many times something like this must've happened with her.

"What a shame. We were lucky to have been missed." Yukimura said as while placing the food into proper sized serving bowls. Sakuno was setting the table and enquired what he meant.

"You passed out again, Sa-chan, after hearing about the battle. Luckily Yuki-kun caught you then as well, make sure to thank him after." Sumire said.

"No need, Ryuzaki-chan, it was a matter of convenience since I was closest to you. After I did, a glimmer emitted from you and went out of control in the living room. It only hit Fuji-kun, which is why I truly believe sensei and I have been lucky this past 24 hours." Yukimura finished.

"O-oh…obaa-chan, what do we do now? I-I…" She didn't even question the glimmer. What was the point? Not like anyone here knew what it was.

The stress of being a saviour of sorts overwhelmed her. Last night was terrifying and she still sported the injuries. The dragon still wasn't speaking to her but right now, she could feel a weakened presence within.

Suddenly, two hands took hers gently. Looking up, she found the kind faces of Sumire and Yukimura.

"We're in this together, Ryuzaki-chan."

"I'll be your support, Sa-chan, so you'll never feel alone."

Sakuno's lips quivered and she nodded gratefully. Yukimura's smile quickly disintegrated when he saw Fuji descend the staircase.

"Fuji-kun, what happened? That wasn't there last night."

"…I think I was attacked by a banshee."

* * *

"_A hag-born scut shouldn't think itself higher than true nobility." His rival scoffed. _

"_Says a noble with the foot-licking fetish." He scowled. _

_They drew their swords and almost duelled to the death had their dearest not stopped them. _

"_The Allegiance depends on each of us doing our parts. We cannot fail because of our arrogance!" She said as she rushed to stand between them, blocking the other from delivering a blow. _

"…_Cheh." He muttered in defeat. Honestly, the Allegiance be damned. Everyone'd go plotting their civil wars after their mission was completed…after she'd be gone. _

"_If our ancestors could see the descendants they sacrificed themselves for." The foreigner, the fourth and final member, laughed. "Princess, at this rate, we ain't making it over the hill." _

/_/_/

Akutsu's eyes snapped open when he heard the sound he hated most – the laugh of a child. He growled when the sun pierced his eyes with its brightness. Did he fall asleep in the park again? Fuck, his mom's gonna flip on him when he got back; her ridiculous amount of energy was bad enough to deal with.

He raised his upper body from the bench, rested his arm on the back and took in his surroundings. Mothers were out with their young kids, meaning it was most likely mid-day. He figured his phone was dead, checked it anyway, and yeah, it was dead.

Since it was a weekend, he had time for his personal errands. He had to do some collections in the morning and was going to see Taichi in the afternoon. But now he woke up late and had a lot of catching up to do. It really pissed him off.

As he got up, a discrepancy in the ground caught his eye. Well, shit. He chalked up the events of last night as a semi-hallucination, a consequence of being so high. The new brand of cigarettes he bought was stronger than his usual. So that puny chick did fall from the sky and didn't break any bones. How the hell was that possible…?

Akutsu looked up to the sky and mentally calculated the distance she would've fallen. After he did, he concluded that no normal person could survive and now, this furthered his curiousity. He remembered she was from Seigaku…she did look familiar…maybe because all the chicks in the area had brown hair, small faces and short statures. He still had hours left in his community service so he'd probably see her again; he was stationed near Seigaku, after all.

He reached for a cigarette and placed it between his lips before walking over the hole. He crouched just at the edge and brushed his hand against it to keep his balance.

A flash of red and yellow took him by surprise, making him tumble into the centre. He couldn't regain his balance, not when he kept getting images flashed at him.

"What the fuck?!"

Those images were of him and they weren't flattering in anyway.

_/_/_/_

'_It's time for the awakening, young master.'_

* * *

Sumire watched Yukimura from her bedroom window for some time as he tended to her ruined flowerbed. She had driven over it to get away from the house in haste. Thankfully, she wasn't questioned on why the house needed to be protected. Sakuno was probably too overwhelmed and Yukimura was too polite a boy to ask.

She wasn't sure of Fuji's ability and it made her wonder if there were more like him out there. The problem with this era was the scientific community and their persistence of wanting to know more about abnormal phenomena. This curse began with an alchemist and it truly worried Sumire what a scientist would do for the sake of knowledge.

But that couldn't be her focus. For now, she needed to locate the likely candidates for the three dragons and that meant researching archives. The families had hidden their descendents quite well in the generations following the bloodiest battle the world would never know of, which made Sumire's mission all the more difficult.

She cursed, rubbed her temple then opened the book on her desk. Particular characters were used for the narrative so surely there would be clues in them.

A sudden knock at the door took her attention.

"Sumire-chan? I'm going to head out now. Seems the swelling won't be gone for awhile."

Sumire sighed when Fuji poked his head through the doorway, smile in place.

"Mah, I'm not going to give you a fake apology for it. I feel a tinge of regret though."

"Good enough for me."

"…Sakuno said you didn't know how you got in there. Is that true?"

Fuji's smile weakened for less than a second.

"I had the strangest dream last night. I kept running towards a luminous green globe but could never catch it."

With that, Fuji nodded his goodbye and left Sumire to work. She sighed, thinking about the headache this boy could cause. Wait, did this mean Fuji was one of the dragons? No…by the logic of viewing capability, then that would mean Yukimura was a dragon too.

"Not possible…" She muttered to herself. A year ago, she thought it and had looked into his background. Nothing of importance stood out to her so she left it alone. She'd need to figure out why he was able to see everything, though.

But when it came to Yukimura, there was another thing that concerned her. It was his quest for bettering himself. Normally this was desirable in anyone but in this case, he was becoming too interested in her family's background. Although it was a great favour that he was fixing her flower beds, she'd rather him not be there.

He'd know too much and in these times, finding trustworthy allies aside from the dragons was something Sumire didn't have time for. She didn't like the steadily increasing interest he had towards Sakuno. Unfortunately, that girl was so naïve that she'd take it for something else completely.

As of now, it was her and Sakuno against the world.

/_/_/

The white dragon hadn't spoken to her today nor last night. The battle had taken too much energy from him. It was after shielding his mistress from the monster's attack that he realized that his immortality was in danger.

His form may not regenerate into a new host if this one died. For many an hour, he struggled with acceptance that his existence was slowly becoming obsolete. Surely, this was his wish coming true?

'…_Brother…_'

His golden eyes snapped open, agitated at the voice he heard after so many centuries. It was Rakshasa, his twin in birth, the yellow scaled, white eyed dragon.

'_Rakshasa…brother, your form is weak, why?'_

'_Disbelief. The repugnant human prevents the full awakening.'_

'_Join with us and your form will strengthen. Where are you? We will seek your host.'_

'_I know not, brother. But soon, we will meet. For now, I demand to discuss the previous night's events regarding the Oracle.'_

'_Yes, it has been born into this era as well. I will continue to guide it.' _

'…_My trust is in you, brother. All the hosts have gathered together in the same timeline. Does this mean the end of our punishment?'_

The white dragon uncurled its spiked tail and clenched its claws.

'_Yes, Rakshasa, we will be free soon.' _


End file.
